Chasing the Light
by tin2lo
Summary: The day of Tommy's wedding, Charlie visits his twin's grave contemplating why he got to live and his twin didn't. Mo reassures him that he has a purpose. Movie and book events. Mo/Charlie Wen/Olivia Ray/Stella


**Hey guys, new story here. Yeah I know, it's unusual that I'm writing in a different fandom, let alone "Lemonade Mouth" but I'm finally giving myself more freedom to explore different fandoms. And besides, this book/movie was actually pretty good for a DCOM. On a scale from Grease to HSM, it's memorable and likable enough not to get made fun of like HSM…but it's still no Grease.**

**So I love this pairing which is non canon in the movie but canon in the book so since there aren't a lot of Mo/Charlie stories, I decided to write one for myself…try my luck and all. Some events in this story are also present in the book while others in the movie.**

**Disclaimer: The book **_**Lemonade Mouth**_** belongs to Mark Peter Hughes and the movie belongs to Disney Channel. Any other brand name or copyrighted name, title, etc. belongs to its respective owners.**

_Like Ships In The Night  
>You keep passing me by<br>We're just wasting time  
>Try'na prove who's right<br>And if it all goes crashing into the sea  
>If it's just you and me trying to find the light<br>Like Ships In the Night, you're passing me by  
>You're passing my by like Ships In the Night<em>

-Mat Kearney "Ships In The Night"

12:30 on the dot. Thirty minutes until the start of the wedding and Mohini "Mo" Banjaree was frantically searching for a very important man – the best man to be exact. No, this wasn't her wedding and yea the groom was technically the most important male…but he wasn't _her _most important male. Point being: she couldn't find her boyfriend…thirty minutes until he was truly needed.

Today just so happened to be the much anticipated wedding of Tommy Delgado, the elder brother of Lemonade Mouth's drummer Charlie (aka the best man). Ever since Mo began dating Charlie three years ago during their freshman year of high school (before sophomore year and yet after the Ri-Zing star incident), she had become really close to his family and his family was just as fond of her as she was of them. On the flip side, it took a little longer for her Baba to warm up to the idea of his daughter dating but he wanted her happy so he trusted her judgment. After realizing Charlie wasn't a threat to Mo's "Grand Plan," he was fully accepted into the Indian home. So, yeah, maybe Charlie wasn't the Indian doctor she had expected to marry in her grand plan, but he had ambition and he had her heart so that was good enough for her.

Anyway, Tommy quickly grew fond of Mo and saw her as the little sister he never had and the sister-in-law he will (hopefully) eventually have. And because of this special relationship, she was entrusted with one wedding provision important as any other – to make sure the best man was dressed and on time. And it seems that that particular feat was a challenge in and amongst itself. One minute he's standing with his family for pre wedding pictures in front of the alter, the next he's vanished so fast you might think fan girls were chasing after him (again).

So as the church was filling in with guests and the groom was in a separate room waiting for everything to begin, Mo took the opportunity to leave in search of her boyfriend and fellow band mate. This church wasn't that big so finding him should've been easy, right? Wrong. It didn't take Mo long to realize that Charlie was just not there.

In the front of the church, Mo saw Lemonade Mouth standing around smiling and laughing. Though this challenge/problem was technically her responsibility, even an almost perfect Indian girl knew when to admit defeat. Before she approached the band, she took a minute to truly look at the people who became more than a band.

It was amazing how an after school detention could change a person or group of people in the blink of an eye. Shy and reserved Olivia became more open and free. She wasn't afraid of being herself anymore. Wen lost most of his angst after finally accepting Sydney in his life. He was also brought down to earth after he started dating Olivia (officially after the Moxie incident). The two seemed to balance each other out. Then of course the band's headstrong leader, Stella Yamada. She was still rebellious and unpredictable but she was a lot more tamed since graduating high school. And still despite all of their changes, they still managed to be more than a band.

_My how different life is today. _Mo couldn't help but think that every once in a while. If she hadn't joined Lemonade Mouth four years ago, she'd probably still be trying to live up to the perfect Bengali girl her father expected of her. She'd probably still be trying to stick with her "grand plan." She smiled knowing it was all in the past.

She approached the laughing band. "Hey guys."

Everyone looked up at her, laughter dying down but smiles never fading. Wen spoke first. "Hey Mo, what's up?"

"Not much. What were you guys talking about?"

Stella let out another laugh and spoke. "Oh nothing, I was just teasing Olivia." Olivia blushed but Stella kept speaking. "She was just gushing about how sweet and romantic this whole wedding ordeal is…and blah blah blah. So I told her that it probably won't be long 'til she has her own. Then somehow we ended up making bets on whose gonna get married first, and all that jazz…"

Mo let out a chuckle. Of course they would be teasing each other about this sort of thing. "Oh really? So what's the verdict?"

Wen let out another laugh and told her. "Well, Stella's betting that Olivia and I will marry first." Olivia blushed again as Wen's arm snaked around her waist. "Liv and I are betting that Stella's gonna get knocked up first (with Ray probably), and we all decided that you and Charlie would probably be sticks in the mud, date the longest, and do everything by the book."

Mo scoffed at that last comment but said nothing against it considering it all sounded pretty accurate. "Ok fine…speaking of Ray, where are he and Scott?"

Stella gave a really inconspicuous smile at the mention of her boyfriend, otherwise it wasn't there. "He and Scott needed to pick up all the instruments and stuff then run sound check at the reception area with Lyle."

Mo nodded. "I see…" She had completely forgotten that both Lemonade Mouth and Mudslide Crush agreed to perform at the reception.

Olivia saw a slightly troubled look on Mo's face. "Hey, where's Charlie?"

Wen just now noticed the absence of their drummer. "Oh yeah, I haven't seen him and he's like the best man, right?"

Mo nodded. "Actually that's what I was going to ask you guys. Do you mind helping me look for him?"

Meanwhile with Charlie:

"You haven't really spoken to me in a while…I know I always complained about how annoying you were especially when it came to girls or people…but I do kinda miss you." He paused and took a big sigh. He looked back down at the grave. "You know…Tommy's getting married today. Our big brother…we're finally going to have a sister." He gave a small smile. He loved his soon to be sister-in-law. She was funny, passionate, ambitious, and was a writer. Sure she had a temper but she has a lot in her life that kept her well grounded. She fit exceptionally well with the Delgado's especially since she was half Puerto Rican so she had Latino blood.

"Anyway…I just felt bad, you know, that you couldn't be here. I thought maybe you'd have something to say or maybe there was something you'd want me to say in my speech. I'm the best man and all…"

Charlie didn't know why, but he started tearing up a little. "You know…sometimes…I still think about what it would've been like, if you had lived. If_ I_ was the stillborn…if the cord was wrapped around _my_ neck…if fate and karma chose you over me…I still think about that, especially when I'm on stage performing or on days like today. I know you're missing out on a lot…you could've been the best man, you might've been in Lemonade Mouth, I don't know…I'm sorry man. I'm sorry you're not with us. I'm sorry fate chose me."

When Charlie finished admitting everything, he sighed greatly and actually let a few tears fall. It wasn't long until he felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around his waist from behind and a kiss placed on the back of his shoulder. A comforting voice finally spoke to him. "What are you doing here?"

Charlie looked over his shoulder to see Mo's chin resting on it as she looked up at him with a knowing gaze. "Just visiting my brother…" They paused for a little bit just to enjoy the peace until Charlie finally spoke again. "You remember that time I told you about how for awhile Aaron sorta lived vicariously through me? And how he would sometimes "advise" me depending on the situation?" He felt her nod against him. "He stopped talking to me a little before we got together…right after I decided I didn't want to listen to him anymore. It must've been the right thing to do because after that moment, he didn't speak anymore…and then you came along to tell me your feelings."

Mo smiled and gave a light chuckle. "I remember that day…"

_Flashback:  
>A few days after the Ri-Zing star disastermiracle, Mo was finally well enough to return to school. On that particular day she had to stay after to discuss with Ms. Reznik about the classical piece she was to perform at a recital a few months later. After speaking with Ms. Reznik, Mo had some time to kill and decided to wait outside on the benches for the late bus home._

_On her way out, she saw Scott Pickett sitting on one of the benches. Although they weren't dating and he did cheat on her, she felt she needed to thank him for Ri-Zing star. "Thank you…for helping us out."_

_He smiled at her. "It's the least I could do." He grabbed her hand and held onto it. In response she looked up at him a little nervously. He pulled her down to sit with him before speaking again. "So…this uhh…packaged deal that you were talking about…you and your music…"_

_She looked at him. "Yeah?"_

"_It sounds pretty good…and if you umm…give me a chance, I'd really like to get to know this Mohini."_

_She looked at him with a smile. "Yes. I'd like that." She gave him a nice, friendly hug._

_When the two let go, he looked at her seriously again. "But I still like you, and I think you still like me. So I was also wondering…why don't we get back together?"_

_Mo looked away from him. Oh. She honestly did not expect that. She looked back at him. "Scott…I'm sorry…but I can't."_

_She waited a little while until she finally got a response. He was shocked, a little hurt, and a little disappointed. "Oh…well can I at least ask why not?"_

_She gave a big sigh and again turned her face away from him. "Do you want to know the truth?" She paused to see him nod his head yes. "I think I've fallen in love with my best friend."_

_Scott nodded in understanding and looked away from her. He knew who she was talking about. The only guy she would tell anything to, the only guy who could calm her in her time of need, Charlie Delgado. In truth, he was of course devastated, but he wasn't angry like he should've been or depressed like he had expected to be. He was sort of…relieved in a way. "I understand, Mo."_

_She looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry, Scott. It's just that Charlie is sweet and kind and he listens and he cares about me in ways nobody else will. I feel different when I'm around him. And even if people tell me I'm too young to know whether or not this is love, I do know that I truly care for him too."_

_Scott still hadn't looked at her again. When he finally did, he held one of her hands in both of his and looked her straight in her eyes. "It's ok. I get it. I know." He took the hand he was holding and gave it a feather light kiss then looked back at her. "I just want you to be happy. And I can see that he makes you happy, so I won't try and stop you. Yeah I'm a little disappointed at being shot down, but I can't say I didn't see this coming. Despite all of this, I'd still like to get to know you."_

_She gave him a truly brilliant smile. She was ready to burst. "Thank you for understanding." He nodded a "you're welcome" and she gave him a small kiss on the cheek in appreciation._

_When she pulled away from him, he looked up and gave a smile and wave at someone behind her. "Hey Charlie." The boy that they were talking about just a few seconds ago had walked through the school doors with the intention of walking home when he spotted Scott and Mo sitting and talking about something._

_Mo turned around, a little surprised to see him. Charlie smiled and waved back a "hey" to both of them. She smiled up at him as well and also gave a light "hey." He then proceeded to walk away._

_Mo turned to look at Scott who was smiling knowingly. "Well what are you still doing here with me for? Go get him…" He gave her a slight nudge and a playful smile. She returned his smile and got up to leave but not before giving Scott one more hug of appreciation._

_She ran towards the direction Charlie left so that she could catch up with him. As she tried to catch him, she could hear a faint "good luck" from Scott._

_She yelled for him and he finally stopped and turned around. When she finally caught up to him, she didn't really know what to say so she said the first thing to come to mind. "Mind if I walk with you?"_

_He smiled a confused smile. "Sure, but you don't live in this direction."_

"_It's ok. I don't mind the change in course." For a little while the just walked together in a comfortable silence._

_Halfway to his house, Charlie felt the touch of Mo's fingers on his hand. It wasn't long until she felt her hand completely grab his. He was a little confused. "What are you doing?"_

_She looked at him. "Holding your hand."_

_He was still confused. "Yes I realize that. I'm just surprised. Especially since you already made it clear that we're just friends." He was bitter didn't really know what to say at that moment with his emotions blocking his thought process._

_The comment kind of hurt Mo. She realizes that she shouldn't have rejected Charlie so fast that day. If there was one thing she regretted it was that moment she told him they were "just friends." He seems a little bitter about it but otherwise he's still the same Charlie. She needed to fix things now. "I know I did. I'm sorry; I'm so so sorry but at the time I was messed up and confused and I didn't know what I wanted but you're truly the best thing that's ever happened to me and I really do want to be with you. I've wanted to tell you that for so long but I didn't know how to do it because I've already made such a mess of things."_

_She was babbling. He knew that. He should've stopped her but he didn't and he didn't' know why. It was a lot to take in so he didn't really know how to reply. As much as he wanted to believe her, it had to be too good to be true. "What about your parents? I thought you didn't want to sneak around anymore. Like you did with Scott?"_

_She gave a small smile thinking this was the only thing holding them back. "My parents already know. We worked it out. They want me to be happy and they trust my judgment."_

_Charlie was even more confused. She always said her parents would hit the roof if she even hinted she was dating anybody. Did he miss something? "I still care about you, Mo. I really do…I just…I don't really know." He wasn't as bitter as he once was but he was still guarded. He tried really hard to "be heard" and she completely shot him down with the "just friends" card. It hurt. A lot. She also spent hours crying to him about Scott and their break up. Would he just end up being her rebound? Sure, Mo wasn't that kind of girl but…_

_Before he could say anything, she continued speaking. "I never meant to hurt you, Charlie…I hope you can at least forgive me."_

_He didn't look at her but he nodded. Of course he could forgive her. Before he even had a chance to say anything, she was facing him with a hand on each of his arms. She was really close. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable (actually it felt just the opposite), it was just a little strange. "What are you doing?"_

_She looked him in the eye. "Remember that time you poked fun at me because I never do anything on impulse? Anything reckless just because I'm dying to know what it feels like? Well get ready, I'm about to do something reckless."_

_Before he could say anything, she raised herself up on her toes and kissed him. The kiss was soft, light, and sweet yet passionate. With this one simple kiss he realized she was telling him the truth. It wasn't just rebound; she actually cared for him, and he knew for a fact he still cared for her. He wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her closer to deepen the kiss and she smiled against him._

_They stayed like for a while until air became needed. When they finally pulled away, they looked at each other in the eyes and knew that this was where they wanted to be. All was right with the universe.  
>End Flashback<em>

Charlie smiled. "That was a good day…"

Mo smiled at the memory as well. "Yeah, it was…" She kissed his shoulder again.

Mo maneuvered herself under Charlie's right arm so that she was standing right next to him with her left arm still draped around his waist and his right arm was now around hers. She looked down at the tombstone. _Aaron Jacob Delgado_ it had read. She sighed as well. She knew what Charlie was thinking. She knew what he was feeling. She just didn't know what to do is all.

Charlie spoke after a little while. "I was caught between walking home or taking the bus…he told me to take the bus but I decided to think for myself for once. That was the last time I heard his voice in my head."

She knew that Charlie liked to see two sides of the world. There were always two ways things could happen and no matter which road he took, he still manages to ask what it would have been like had he taken the other road. She knew that he also liked thinking about fate and how it does exist – that some greater power is controlling what's going to happen. She always found that fascinating about him. He talked and relied on that a little less considering he apparently "defied the laws of fate" but she figured that his internal battle with his dead twin brother was over.

She rubbed his back reassuringly. "I know you still think about it…" Charlie gave a nod but otherwise said nothing. "…about how life could've been different if Aaron survived instead…" He flinched a little but otherwise said nothing. "…this is going to sound a little selfish but do you ever think about what life would've been like if _you didn't_ live as opposed to if _he did_? What would you have missed out on?"

He shook his head in denial of what she was saying. "We're twins, Mo. Not much would probably change."

"I doubt that." She looked up at him curiously.

He returned her gaze, slightly confused. "Why? What are you thinking?"

She thought a little bit. "Well for one, you would've missed out on the day Wen and Olivia made themselves official on national television. Remember how Moxie was bombarding you, me, and Scott with questions and Olivia saved us?"

_Flashback:  
>We're on in 5...4…3…2<em>

"_Welcome to The Music Scene. I'm Moxie Moris, your host for all things musical and do we have a treat for you tonight. Here in the studio with us we have Lemonade Mouth. Let's give it up." Moxie starts clapping her hands as the crowd cheered and the band waved. Everyone was so excited for this special episode of The Music Scene._

_Moxie looked at Stella and the rest of the band. "Thanks for coming guys." Everyone in the band replied back with a "it's awesome to be here" or "glad to come" and what not but it was a little drowned out by the cheering crowd._

_Moxie continued on. "So…eight months ago you were all just normal high school students. And now here you are at the top of the charts. How did you get here?" She was asking with so much curiosity that it was almost nerve wracking. So much so that no one really spoke to answer her question. She happened to notice when everyone was fidgeting and staring at each other waiting for someone to say something. "Nobody?_

_Wen finally spoke up. "Well we're just saving that for the movie." Everyone laughed at his joke._

_Charlie looked at Mo curiously like a child in excitement and whispered to her. "There's a movie?" She just whispered back and nodded "No" after she finished chuckling with everyone else and placed a hand on his leg to reassure him._

_Moxie was a little disappointed but still enthusiastic. "Oh come one…I mean you guys…tell me a little bit about how life has changed for all of you. I mean Charlie, you and Mohini have been going strong and yet you're still considered America's new heartthrob."_

_He smiled and blushed a little. Mo looked at him affectionately and placed a hand on his arm while the others jokingly swooned at him. Moxie actually looked at Mo and started questioning her. "Does it ever get awkward knowing that there are tons of girls out there after your boyfriend?"_

_Mo smiled. "No. I think it's kind of cute and he deserves it for being so sweet. But I trust Charlie and I know the strength of our relationship." She looked at Charlie with a smile on her face and he returned it as he grabbed her hand to hold. "We won't break because of some fangirls. We're taking it slow, but we're doing just fine."_

_The audience let out a joint "awww" along with Moxie and the rest of the band. It seems as though the two lost themselves staring at each other but soon broke the gaze after Charlie gave her hand a kiss. Charlie turned his head to look back at Moxie while Mo turned her head in the opposite direction to face her father. You would think she'd feel awkward about the exchange while her father was watching but he just genuinely smiled back at her with approval and pride. Mo's smile couldn't have gotten any bigger._

_Moxie smiled and continued. "Speaking of awkward relations, Scott and Mohini…there was a rumor going around saying that you two were in a prior relationship that was kept quiet. Does that make things awkward between the three of you?"_

_As she was speaking, Mo was signaling for her to stop talking but she just kept going on. It wasn't long until her father interrupted. "Prior relationship? Mohini? What relationship?"_

_She tried to whisper her reply. "We talked about this Baba…"_

_The two got into a mini argument. "We talked about you having a relationship but not one with that other boy…"_

_As the two were arguing, Olivia butted in. "No, no, actually it's not Mo, it's me…"_

_Everyone looked at her surprised, Wen especially. He looked at her and mouthed "what?" Mo, Charlie, and Stella all looked at Scott wondering if he really did date Olivia before being in Lemonade Mouth._

_Scott realized this and raised his hands in defense. "I have no idea what she's talking about."_

_Olivia soon realized this as well. "Oh, no, no, no. I meant me and Wen. We've…we've umm…we've been dating…ish…haven't…I mean…we have? Haven't we?" As she was speaking, he was nodding along, a little flustered. The other band mates looked at each other knowingly. She kept talking. "I mean I think we have…haven't we? Sort of? I mean…or not. It's ok." She leaned back in her chair in defeat._

_Wen looked from her to Moxie. "No, no, no…yeah, yeah…she, she's my girl…" The two smiled at each other. The moment everyone in the band had been anticipating finally happened. Wen reached out and held her hand as the new couple smiled at each other._

_Moxie clapped along with the audience and continued. "Looks like love is in bloom for Lemonade Mouth."_

_Stella finally chose now to speak up. "Ok…here's the deal, Moxie. Life for us…it's different but still the same. I mean the stage is bigger and the crowd is _way _louder but every night we get out there…we know where we belong."_

_Moxie looked at her curiously. "And where is that?"_

_Stella looked at the rest of the band. "Together…making music we love…with the people we love. It's actually bittersweet for us right now because we're actually losing our amazing guitarist."_

_As she stopped everyone in the audience gasped and the band looked at Scott sadly. Moxie was obviously in shock. "Scott, are you leaving Lemonade Mouth? Why? What's going on?"_

_Scott smiled. "It's not that I don't love this band. Really, I do…it's just that I have a sense of loyalty to my first band _Mudslide Crush_ and I'm actually going to be returning to them." Some of the crowd "awww-ed" disappointedly while others screamed at the mention of Mudslide Crush, another rock band favorite. Ever since winning Ri-Zing star, the band had become almost as famous and almost as popular as Lemonade Mouth. "I know it's been a rough patch between Lemonade Mouth and Mudslide Crush but we've all matured and we've all become friends in a way. I love both bands but let's face it…I'll always be a "Crusher."_

_The audience clapped at Scott's courage to leave Lemonade Mouth to return to his old band. Moxie turned to the rest of his band. "How do you guys feel about this? You must've talked it over for a while…"_

_Stella answered the question. "Yeah, there was definitely arguments when Scott proposed the idea to us and we were a little skeptical but we're on good terms with Mudslide Crush and we respect Scott and his decisions."_

_Scott gave a thank you to her and the rest of the band. "I've had loads of fun being in Lemonade Mouth these past few months but let's face it, I don't belong here. It's been great guys, it really has…but I'm actually really excited to get back with my boys."_

_The crowd gave another round of applause. After a heartfelt moment, Stella finally spoke again. "Now uhh…if you don't mind we'd really love to play our new song."_

"_Absolutely. We'll let you set up." The crowd cheered as the band got excited. Moxie shook Stella's hand and faced the cameras. "Ladies and gentlemen, what a treat, here with their new song 'Highwire,' Lemonade Mouth." She walked off the screen clapping as the band began to play._

_This was their last performance with Scott Pickett.  
>End flashback<em>

"I'll admit I'm glad I didn't miss out on that. Scott seems happier too." It was true. As much as they missed Scott in their band, he really didn't belong with them. It was obvious that he was so much happier with his original band. It's also not like he gave up much. Mudslide Crush was almost as big as Lemonade Mouth. And ever since Stella and Ray hooked up, things have been going great between the two bands. If you were a Lemon head then you were probably also a Mudslide Crusher and vice versa. For a few months on their national tour, Mudslide Crushed opened for Lemonade Mouth. The two bands even held a joint world tour that was a huge and major success. Currently, Mudslide Crush was doing their own national tour (for which Lemonade Mouth will open for only a few short months) while Lemonade Mouth worked on their latest album.

Mo smiled at Charlie. "Yeah, he does. He really always did belong to Mudslide Crush."

Charlie squeezed Mo's hand. "You know, Aaron probably would have had some kind of remark to all of that. He'd probably call it 'drama' or something. I always pictured him the 'cool guy' type…you know…everything I wasn't.

Mo squeezed his hand back in reassurance. She swayed the conversation a little. "I highly doubt things would've been the same had he been in your place. You know, the stars wouldn't have aligned for us without you."

He gave her a playful and confused smile. "What?"

"Olivia thinks that the first time the stars aligned for us was when we all connected through Mel's Lemonade, detention, and music. I'd like to think that the second time was when you and I admitted the truth about our feelings. And I'm pretty sure that something was going on in the cosmos when Ray and Stella got together.

Charlie let out a laugh. "Yeah, that was a strange day…"

_Flashback:  
>Only a year after Lemonade Mouth's conception and they were already huge. They're first nationwide tour was a huge hit. They were ready to start a second album and they were hoping for a world tour sometime in their future. Right now though, they were living in the moment.<em>

_Currently, they were setting up to perform for the charity event they were part of. The Foundation For a Better Life decided to host a week long charity event to raise money for under privileged families so that as many children as possible could live their dreams. Lemonade Mouth's revolution and inspiration just so happened to put the band as one of the first people to call when it came to a performance for such cause._

_The event was huge. It was more carnival/festival style so there were games, auctions, "meet and greet" with volunteer celebrities and the performing bands. Several different bands would be playing both well known and not so well known. Lemonade Mouth actually didn't know who else was playing but they were excited to be a part of it all._

_As the band set up their respective instruments in their designated back stage area, Olivia (who had left to pick up food at one of the booths as well as pick up the band schedule) returned with a smile on her face. "Ok guys, we've got our timeslot! We're on tomorrow at 2:00, right before Mudslide Crush…"_

_The rest of the band smiled (as well as take some of the food Olivia was holding). Ever since Scott rejoined Mudslide Crush, the relationship between the two bands was civil to the point of almost friendly. There were bad days, sure, but overall Mudslide Crush was practically their "sister band" considering they both came from the same roots._

_Stella took the timeslot sheet from Olivia. "Awesome. Who goes before us?" Usually there were three bands per day._

_Before she realized that her dyslexia caused her to not be able to read the names clearly on the sheet and before Olivia, who already memorized the entire thing, could answer the question, a person outside of the band answered it for her. "That, loser mouth, just so happens to be us..."_

_Stella abruptly turned around at the sound of _that_ voice. Oh how she despised that voice greatly. She crossed her arms when speaking to him. "Luke Williams…what an unpleasant surprise."_

_Luke Williams just so happened to be the front man of his own band/dance crew, Alabaster Carnation. It seems as though the universe never gave Lemonade Mouth a break. After their rivalry with Mudslide Crush ended, so began their rivalry with Alabaster Carnation. The year after Lemonade Mouth lost Ri-Zing star to Mudslide Crush, Alabaster Carnation won so obviously they would be at the charity event as well. Although they haven't been as famous as either bands in popularity and in time spent famous, they acted as though they were the greatest band to ever grace the musical world._

_Considering the band's arrogance and ego, it was no wonder Stella hated them more than she ever hated Mudslide Crush and she always made that known off the record. After Stella replied to Luke, they had a mini stare down. This was how it always happened. They would stare each other down until the clash of words began. Both bands stood behind their "leader" and waited in apprehension. Wen stood in front Olivia protectively and Mo held onto Charlie's arm as his body stiffened. Everyone knew the drill._

_Luke looked at Stella smugly. "I can't believe they let you wannabes perform here."_

"_And I can't believe you're stupid enough to think that these people came for you over the charity." Alabaster Carnation "ooh-ed" but stopped abruptly when Luke glared at them. Lemonade Mouth snickered. _

"_Well at least we know they didn't come for you either."_

"_Wow. That's the best you've got?" Stella rolled her eyes. "You know, when you first got famous and we began these fights, I thought your lame comebacks were just a result of your new ego. By now, I figured if you weren't going to be mature, at least your comebacks would've been more creative. Guess I was wrong…" Lemonade Mouth laughed as Luke's face turned red. It was true. His verbal harassment was nothing compared to the fights she and Ray had back in Mesa High. Stella actually got bored in the middle of her and Luke's fights sometimes._

_When Luke finally composed himself he had one more trick up his sleeve. "Well I hear that you're wrong often. In a family full of geniuses, why am I not surprised that you're the abnormality with a mental problem? It's amazing how someone as stupid as you was able to come this far considering you can't even finish a simple book, but then again, you're probably just being carried by the rest of your band. Dead weight…"_

_Stella was fuming. How dare he bring her dyslexia into this? The others were a little afraid of what was going to happen. They all knew Stella was sensitive when it came to her family and her learning disability. Stella honestly wanted to cry right then and there. She was happy to know that the reason she wasn't as smart as her parents or brothers was due to a disability but it still hurt being reminded of it. She may have always been the strong rebel but even the strongest can break easily._

_Stella was a little cornered. She wanted to run and cry but she didn't want Luke to win. But she realized that the longer she stood frozen staring at him, the more smug he grew thinking he was winning. The next few events happened so fast that no one really noticed anything until they realized that Luke Williams was on the floor holding his bleeding nose._

_Ray Beech had come backstage to check and make sure that Mudslide Crush's stuff was already set up and ready for their performance the next day only to be greeted by a fight between Stella and Luke. Ray hid behind one of the stage curtains to wait and see what would happen next. He rolled his eyes through most of what Luke would say. Man was this dude lame. When Luke finally pulled the disability card, he knew Stella was lost. He didn't know why but he had a sudden urge to protect the half Asian rebel. What Luke said hurt Stella and for some strange reason, seeing Stella hurt really pissed him off._

_Before Ray knew what he was doing, he speed walked to Luke, roughly turned him around so the two were facing, and punched him square in the noise. When he saw Luke on the floor holding his bleeding nose, Ray let out a satisfied smile. "Talk to her like that one more time and I promise to make your life a living hell." Ray let out a deep breath and faced the rest of Alabaster Carnation. They cowered in fear and took a step back, hands held up dismissively._

_Ray then turned to face Lemonade Mouth whose mouths were just held open in pure shock. To be honest, Ray didn't really see anybody else in Lemonade Mouth…except for Stella Yamada. The two locked eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Stella didn't know why but she suddenly saw Ray differently. He just defended them. And not just them but _her. _Why would he do that? When she stared into his light blue eyes, she didn't see what she usually saw. She saw something different and she didn't know what it was but it made her feel…good, warm almost. She was so flustered that all she could say was "Umm…thank you…"_

_Without breaking eye contact, he simply replied with a "Don't mention it…"_

_Stella soon realized why she felt strange. She was falling for this guy…and not just any guy, Ray Beech. This was the boy that harassed her and her friends since her first day at Mesa. But she fell, and she fell hard._

_It wasn't long after that encounter that the two spent time writing a duet together that caused them to admit the feelings they were both trying to hide and deny which later caused them to become Lemonade Mouth's third official couple. It was now official. Everyone in Lemonade Mouth was off the market.  
>End flashback<em>

Mo chuckled lightly. "Stranger things have happened for our band." She looked back up at Charlie to see that he was still staring at the tombstone. "Charlie, this may sound a little mean…but I'm glad that you lived instead of Aaron." He didn't say anything but he looked at her curiously. She turned so that she was facing him completely and wrapped her arms around his waist to pull him towards her. "If you didn't live, Lemonade Mouth wouldn't have happened. You always told me that you thought Aaron would've been the 'cool guy' type. Well even if he did land in detention with everyone else, he probably wouldn't have lowered himself to hang out with people as low as we were on the social ladder. Let's face it Charlie, we were all losers starting out. He never would've agreed to the band. And besides, the title and skills of a 'drum God' don't go to just anybody…"

He spoke quietly. "You really believe that?"

She looked him straight in the eye when replying. "Absolutely. And besides, even if I'm wrong I know one thing's for sure." Charlie looked at her seriously, waiting for her answer. "I never would've met the love of my life that day in detention." And with that, she went on her toes and kissed him passionately. The kiss held so much love and passion that neither of them wanted it to end. She wanted him to know the truth of her words and he wanted her to know that she was the reason he never truly regretted being the living twin. They had each other, and he never questioned the universe about that.

Charlie wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to deepen the kiss. When air became a necessity the two finally broke apart and laid their foreheads on one another. She looked in his eyes again. "Don't ever doubt your existence."

He stared into her eyes as well. "You're the reason I don't anymore."

She smiled brightly at him and they were going to kiss again until they were interrupted by the rest of the band. Wen's voice boomed from across the graveyard. "Yo lovebirds. We gotta go the wedding's gonna start soon and there's still no best man!" They heard him yell "oww" when Stella and Olivia standing on either side of him, slapped his arms simultaneously for interrupting and ruining the moment.

Charlie broke his gaze with Mo and yelled back at them. "It's alright, we're coming!" He laced his hand with Mo's and started walking towards their band.

Halfway between the exit and Aaron's tombstone, Mo stopped and let go of Charlie. "Can you wait one sec, Charlie? I think I forgot something." Charlie was a little confused wondering what she could've left behind but before he could protest, she was already running back towards the tombstone.

She squatted to look at the name on the tombstone and whispered "Thank you for letting him live." She pulled a flower off of the corsage she was wearing, kissed it, and placed it on the ground in front of the tombstone.

As she walked back to where Charlie was waiting for her, she could hear a faint voice in the wind. "Take care of him…" She turned around but saw nothing and yet she could've sworn she heard something. She shook her head, let the notion pass, re-laced her fingers with Charlie's and walked back to the church with a smile on her face.

That was the last time Aaron Jacob Delgado left Heaven to check on his twin. He knew Charlie would be just fine. All was right in the Universe.

_Can you hear when we call  
>There where we fall<br>Standing our backs against the wall  
>Top of the lungs, Hallelujah<br>Where pain and love bleed into one  
>Baby when all you see is darkness<br>Coming Down now  
>We all need forgiveness<br>Coming round now_

-Mat Kearney "Down"

**I hope you enjoyed it. Quick note, yes some scenes, facts, and details are from the book (ex. Aaron really was his dead twin brother) and yes I know you may think I went OOC but hear me out, if they're a little movie OOC, then it's probably because that part of their character I took from the book. Also, the 'rival band' in the third flashback – the name was borrowed from an episode of _Wizards of Waverly Place_**_**. **_**Lastly, I've never seen **_**Camp Rock **_**or its sequel. When looking for a mean front man, I asked my sister for suggestions and that's who she gave me (I don't like OCs).**

**Fun fact: How Stella and Ray got together, I took from Chris Brochu's idea from an interview of what he wanted from "Lemonade Mouth 2." He ships Rayella (and apparently so does Hayley Kiyoko), did you know that?**

**Reviews are nice…like lemonade.**

**-tin2lo**


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